Parenting is hard work! It may look easy in this photo, but its tough.
Parenting is hard, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Here are some tips on why you should make sure to break your routine and go for a hike.
As a parent I know how easy it is to get caught up in our daily lives. Parenting is hard! There is no other way to say it. It is a lot of work to have kids; feeding them, raising them to be good people, and getting them to their activities. Then on top of that parents have their own lives. It can be easy to get into a routine where come weekend you just relax around the house. Sometimes you need to break that routine and go for a hike.
Parenting Is Hard – Tough, But Worth It
Before being a parent I served in the Peace Corps in Madagascar (incidentally that is where I met my wife). One of the common slogans for Peace Corps back then was, the toughest job you’ll ever love.
We used to laugh about that slogan whenever we were having a great day at the beach or some beautiful spot. At the same time, there were a lot hard, miserable days when we weren’t laughing. In the end it was hard, but I know putting all that work into it made it more worthwhile to me.
Now as a parent, I can definitely say that parenting is harder than being a Peace Corps Volunteer. Being a parent is a job that never ends. Day after day you are confronted with new challenges. The worrying never stops. Am I raising them to be good people? Are they respectful? Are they compassionate and caring? Am I spoiling them?
However, parenting also comes with incredible rewards that make it all worth while.
A tired Dad reading the bedtime story, trying not to fall asleep mid-sentence.
Parenting Is Exhausting
There are a lot of days where I am completely worn out and exhausted by the time dinner has finished and the kids are in bed.
When my kids were toddlers it wasn’t uncommon for me to fall asleep while reading them their nighttime story! I know that sounds crazy, but it happened. I would find myself slowly reading a sentence and then the next thing I knew the kids would be nudging me awake to keep reading.
Parenting is hard work and exhausting. That makes it so easy to fall into a routine of taking it easy and relaxing around the house on a day off or on the weekend. It can be nice to just be at home with no responsibilities or places to go.
You don’t have to go far or to a National Park to go for a hike. This was a short walk near our house we’d go to just to get out.
Go For A Hike With The Kids! You’ll Be Glad You Did
I’m here to encourage you to get motivated and get the family out for a hike on the weekend or after school some day. There are lots of tricks to get the kids out of the door, but ultimately the main motivator is you, the parent.
If you want to get outside and enjoy it your kids will sense your enthusiasm and that will rub off on them.
There are so many positive benefits of going for a hike with your kids. You get exercise, bond, and importantly you get a break from your weekly routines.
It is so easy to get caught up in our daily routines, worries, and concerns that we let life pass us by. I beg you to get your family away from all of your normal concerns and routines and go for a hike.
Remember, ultimately a hike is just a walk. Go for a walk with your family in nature.
It will give you time to be together, to bond, and enjoy each other’s company before the kids are grown up and gone from the house.